Truce and Lies

Grant: put a ring on it

Aidan and Brian were dropped off just after dinner. They were both dirty and looked exhausted, but that didn't stop Aidan from trying to squeeze me in a bear hug.

"Aidan, I have cracked ribs," I managed, pushing away with my unbroken arm.

He frowned at me and then glanced up sharply at the rest of the pack.

"How did that happen?"

"Why don't you two go shower before Katie and Susie Lynn break into these boxes without us?" Mel suggested. "Did you two eat?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Go on now."

Aidan reached for my hand, but I let him go alone down to the shop. Katie sighed dramatically, giving a sidelong glance at me.

"Could we open just one?" she pleaded. "Just one and we'll stop asking, I swear."

Susie Lynn nodded fervently. I moved around them to the living room, peering at the boxes to see which had the most innocuous items. I pulled out a smaller one and handed it to Katie.

"You're going to be disappointed," I warned. "You've built this up too much."

"It's your fault," Susie Lynn protested. "You have a whole tower in here."

She and Katie broke open the box and frowned at the plastic and tubing. Mel hid a smile as they pulled some of it out and started up at me.

"It's equipment to take blood," I replied. "So I can stop biting people and leaving scars. And so we can have extra in case of emergencies. I told you."

"Is everything practical?" Susie Lynn wrinkled her nose. "I thought you'd be more exciting with this surprise."

"I think this day has been exciting enough," I replied, making a point to look at Ralph and not toward Daria. She was sitting on the couch with Keith and Casey. She hadn't said a word to me since our fight. Oddly enough I wasn't angry, but perhaps my animal snack was dampening my werewolf temper.

Aidan and Brian came back to the house, finally seeing the tower of boxes in the living room. Aidan's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't stop at the door like Brian did, rather he came to wrap his arms around my torso, though more gently than previously.

"What is this?" he asked me.

"I went shopping," I told him. "Online, of course. Ralph and I went into town to get them."

"Oh? You went without me?"

I noted the hurt in his tone.

"It's a good thing you didn't come," Ralph remarked. "We ran into complications."

"The broken ribs?" Aidan inquired.

"No, that was different," I admitted. "Anyway, the others have waited all day to break into these boxes." I gesture to the tower. "Go ahead. I've only got the one arm."

Katie and Susie Lynn squealed and dragged Brian and Daria into the fray. They ripped open the first box.

"One arm?" Aidan questioned.

"I got into a fight; I'm fine," I told him. "We'll talk later."

The first couple of boxes were the mats that I had purchased. I explained that the edges would fit together and we could cover the fighting area in the shop.

"To add a little cushion," I explained. "So when I throw Keith on the ground he doesn't complain so much."

"Hey," Keith complained.